S. Korean online security firm shamed by user information leakage

ESTsoft, a South Korean online security firm known for its online antivirus software "ALYac", was embroiled in a shameful hacking scandal after the company was found to have been robbed of about 13,000 user information including ids and passwords.

The company reported to the Korea Communications Commission, a state watchdog, Tuesday of the leakage of information from "ALPass", a platform which stores user passwords to other websites.

ESTsoft said in an urgent notice via its website that it did not know of a cyber attack until hackers demanded money for information they took from the password platform. "We will notify the investigation process through our web page," the company said, promising to cooperate with government bodies in tracking the hackers and prevent further damage.

The state commission said it would try to find the origins of the cyber attack and the exact size of leaked information, asking ALPass users to change passwords to other websites.